The present invention is concerned with a torch igniter of the type employed to generate sparks used to ignite a compressed gas torch. Such devices are of course old and well known in the art. Abrasive spark igniters are employed to ignite any type of compressed gas torch which, broadly speaking, includes welding and cutting torches such as oxy-acetylene torches, simple propane or other gas fuel torches commonly employed for brazing, paint removal, etc., and even gas fuel fired lanterns, stoves and the like. Such torches have in common a source of pressurized fuel, more specifically a compressed gas or vaporized liquid fuel, which is fed either alone or with air or oxygen through a nozzle, at the tip of which the fuel is ignited to form the desired flame. Such ignition is normally done manually by spark generating means such as an abrading wheel or plate mounted for abrading movement against a flint.
Manually operated spark ignition devices not mounted on the torch have some drawbacks. They have a tendency to become misplaced and it is often inconvenient for the worker to have to free one hand to retrieve the sparker and then manipulate it in front of the nozzle tip to ignite or reignite the flame.
The prior art has provided torch igniters or lighters which are mounted on the torch nozzle and this overcomes at least the tendency for such lighters to be mislaid with attendant inconvenience and loss of time. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,904 discloses a torch lighter pivotally mounted to the nozzle and carrying a sparking wheel at the outer end of its pivot arm so that the arm may be pivoted to position the sparking wheel in front of the nozzle tip. The wheel is then manually thumb operated to generate the spark and swung back to a position away from the flame emanating from the torch nozzle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,275,060 shows an igniter assembly similar in concept in that it also provides the sparking wheel at the end of a pivotably mounted arm so that it may be pivoted into position to ignite the gas and then pivoted out of the way of the flame.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,472 shows a spark igniter device for a gas mantle burner which is also pivotable into and out of a flame ignition position.
While such devices maintain the sparking device attached to the nozzle, they nonetheless require a certain amount of manipulation to swing the pivoting arm into and out of position each time it is desired to ignite or reignite the flame, and further require manual thumb operation of the sparking wheel. The devices are also rather large and cumbersome considering that they are carried on the nozzle itself.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel torch igniter attachment which is of simple construction, capable of being mounted on a torch nozzle in a single operative position in which it serves to ignite a flame from the torch tip and remains in that position while not interfering with the flame or being in a position to be damaged by the flame.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel torch igniter attachment which is motor driven so that sparks may be generated without necessity of manually thumbing the sparking wheel.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a simple, relatively inexpensive novel torch igniter to be mounted on a torch nozzle for generating sparks to ignite a flame at the nozzle tip, and one which is motor operated.